A bioactive fraction from Streptomyces sp. enhances maize tolerance against drought stress.

A bioactive fraction from Streptomyces sp. enhances maize tolerance against drought stress. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020 May 13;: Authors: Warrad M, Hassan YM, Mohamed MSM, Hagagy N, Al-Maghrabi OA, Selim S, Saleh AM, AbdElgawad H Abstract Drought stress is known to threaten the growth and productivity of many economical crops. Therefore, it is necessary to establish innovative and efficient approaches for improving crop growth and productivity. In the current study, we investigated the potentials of the cell-free extract of actinobacteria (Ac) isolated from a semi-arid habitat (Al-Jouf region, Saudi Arabia) to recover the reduction in maize growth and improve the physiology stress induced by drought. Three Ac isolates screened for production of secondary metabolites, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, the isolate Ac3 revealed the highest levels of flavonoids, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities beside its abilities to produce siderophores and phytohormones. Based on seed germination experiment, the selected bioactive fraction of Ac3 cell-free extract (F2.7), increased the growth and photosynthesis rate under drought stress. Moreover, F2.7 application significantly alleviated drought stress-induced increases in H2O2, lipid peroxidation (MDA) and proteins oxidation (Protein carbonyls). It also increased total antioxidant power and molecular antioxidants levels (total ascorbate, glutathione and tocopherols). F2.7 improved t...
Source: Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: J Microbiol Biotechnol Source Type: research